Adaptable real-time communications plugin for virtual desktop infrastructure solutions

ABSTRACT

A plugin works with a remote desktop client that is executing on a client computing device to present a user interface of a communications application that is executing in a cloud computing environment. The plugin enables the remote desktop client to conduct audio and/or video communication with a remote computing device in a peer-to-peer manner rather than via the communications application. The plugin also enables the remote desktop client to determine a hardware-based media processing capability of the client computing device and leverage such capability in conducting the peer-to-peer audio and/or video communication with the remote computing device. Such hardware-based media processing capability may be used, for example, to process media received from the remote computing device, to process media captured from a media source of the client computing device, or as a basis for negotiating a media communication parameter with the remote computing device.

BACKGROUND

Virtualization technology abstracts a desktop operating system (OS) andassociated applications from a client computing device used to accessthem. For example, a virtual desktop infrastructure solution (VDI) mayinvolve hosting a desktop on servers in a data center and delivering animage of the desktop over a network to the client computing device. Thedesktop image can then be rendered on the client computing device and auser of the client computing device may interact directly with the imageas though the desktop and its applications are running locally on theclient computing device.

This approach enables customers to streamline management and costs byconsolidating and centralizing user desktops. The benefits ofcentralization include hardware resource optimization, reduced softwaremaintenance, and improved security. For example, software patching andOS migrations can be applied and tested for all users in one instance.Moreover, software assets are centralized and thereby easily monitoredand protected, and sensitive data is uncompromised in cases of desktoploss or theft. In addition, desktop virtualization increases users'mobility and the freedom to access virtual desktops from anywhere andany device.

Despite the many benefits afforded by virtualization technologies, someapplications, however, may not be optimized for or well-supported in VDIenvironments. One such example is communications applications running ina VDI environment that enable real-time communications (RTC) betweenusers (e.g., Microsoft® Teams, Slack®). RTC refers to near simultaneousexchange of information (e.g., voice, instant messaging, video, etc.)over a network from the sender to the receiver with negligible latency.

SUMMARY

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

Methods, systems, and computer program products are described herein forimproving the performance of a remote desktop client that is executingon a client computing device to present a user interface (UI) of acommunications application that is remotely executing in a cloudcomputing environment. In embodiments, the methods, systems, andcomputer program products enable the remote desktop client to conductaudio and/or video communication with a remote computing device in apeer-to-peer manner rather than via the remotely-executingcommunications application. In further accordance with such embodiments,the methods, systems, and computer program products enable the remotedesktop client to determine one or more hardware-based media processingcapabilities of the client computing device and leverage such one ormore hardware-based media processing capabilities in conducting thepeer-to-peer audio and/or video communication with the remote computingdevice, which can improve the quality of such audio and/or videocommunication and reduce a processing burden on the client computingdevice. The one or more hardware-based media processing capabilities maybe used, for example, to process media received from the remotecomputing device for rendering by the client computing device, toprocess media captured from a media source of the client computingdevice for transmission to the remote computing device, or as a basisfor negotiating a media communication parameter with the remotecomputing device.

Further features and advantages of the invention, as well as thestructure and operation of various embodiments, are described in detailbelow with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is noted that theembodiments are not limited to the specific embodiments describedherein. Such embodiments are presented herein for illustrative purposesonly. Additional embodiments will be apparent to persons skilled in therelevant art(s) based on the teachings contained herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS/FIGURES

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form a partof the specification, illustrate embodiments of the present applicationand, together with the description, further serve to explain theprinciples of the embodiments and to enable a person skilled in thepertinent art to make and use the embodiments.

FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram of an example system for enabling videoand/or audio communication via a communications application executing ina cloud computing environment, according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 2 depicts a block diagram of an example system for enablingpeer-to-peer audio and/or video communication between a client computingdevice and a remote computing device as opposed to audio and/or videocommunication therebetween via a communications application, accordingto an example embodiment.

FIG. 3 depicts a block diagram of an example system including a pluginthat enables redirection of communication from a communicationsapplication for the purposes of enabling peer-to-peer audio and/or videocommunication between a client computing device and a remote computingdevice, according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 4 depicts a block diagram of a client computing device including aplugin to a remote desktop client that determines a hardware-based mediaprocessing capability of client computing device and uses the detectedhardware-based media processing capability to process media, accordingto another an example embodiment.

FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of a method for determining a hardware-basedmedia processing capability of a client computing device and using thedetected hardware-based media processing capability to process media,according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of a method for negotiating a mediacommunication parameter with a remote computing device based on adetermined hardware-based media processing capability of a clientcomputing device, according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 7 shows a flowchart of a method for determining a hardware-basedmedia processing capability of a client computing device and using thehardware-based media processing capability to process media capturedfrom a media source of the client computing device, according to anexample embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an example processor-based computer systemthat may be used to implement various embodiments.

The features and advantages of the present invention will become moreapparent from the detailed description set forth below when taken inconjunction with the drawings, in which like reference charactersidentify corresponding elements throughout. In the drawings, likereference numbers generally indicate identical, functionally similar,and/or structurally similar elements. The drawing in which an elementfirst appears is indicated by the leftmost digit(s) in the correspondingreference number.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION I. Introduction

The present specification and accompanying drawings disclose one or moreembodiments that incorporate the features of the present invention. Thescope of the present invention is not limited to the disclosedembodiments. The disclosed embodiments merely exemplify the presentinvention, and modified versions of the disclosed embodiments are alsoencompassed by the present invention. Embodiments of the presentinvention are defined by the claims appended hereto.

References in the specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,”“an example embodiment,” etc., indicate that the embodiment describedmay include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, butevery embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature,structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarilyreferring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature,structure, or characteristic is described in connection with anembodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of oneskilled in the art to effect such feature, structure, or characteristicin connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitlydescribed.

In the discussion, unless otherwise stated, adjectives such as“substantially” and “about” modifying a condition or relationshipcharacteristic of a feature or features of an embodiment of thedisclosure, are understood to mean that the condition or characteristicis defined to within tolerances that are acceptable for operation of theembodiment for an application for which it is intended.

Numerous exemplary embodiments are described as follows. It is notedthat any section/subsection headings provided herein are not intended tobe limiting. Embodiments are described throughout this document, and anytype of embodiment may be included under any section/subsection.Furthermore, embodiments disclosed in any section/subsection may becombined with any other embodiments described in the samesection/subsection and/or a different section/subsection in any manner.

II. Example Embodiments

Virtualization technology abstracts a desktop operating system (OS) andassociated applications from a client computing device used to accessthem. For example, a virtual desktop infrastructure solution (VDI) mayinvolve hosting a desktop on servers in a data center and delivering animage of the desktop over a network to the client computing device. Thedesktop image can then be rendered on the client computing device and auser of the client computing device may interact directly with the imageas though the desktop and its applications are running locally on theclient computing device.

This approach enables customers to streamline management and costs byconsolidating and centralizing user desktops. The benefits ofcentralization include hardware resource optimization, reduced softwaremaintenance, and improved security. For example, software patching andOS migrations can be applied and tested for all users in one instance.Moreover, software assets are centralized and thereby easily monitoredand protected, and sensitive data is uncompromised in cases of desktoploss or theft. In addition, desktop virtualization increases users'mobility and the freedom to access virtual desktops from anywhere andany device.

Despite the many benefits afforded by virtualization technologies, someapplications, however, may not be optimized for or well-supported in VDIenvironments. One such example is communications applications running ina VDI environment that enable real-time communications (RTC) betweenusers (e.g., Microsoft® Teams, Slack®). RTC as described herein refersto near simultaneous exchange of information (e.g., voice, instantmessaging, video, etc.) over a network from the sender to the receiverwith negligible latency.

For example, FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram of an example system 100 forenabling video and/or audio communication via a communicationsapplication executing in a cloud computing environment. As shown in FIG.1, system 100 includes a cloud computing environment 102 that includes avirtual desktop host 104, a client device 112, and a remote computingdevice 114.

For illustration purposes, cloud computing environment 102 is shown toinclude only a single virtual desktop host 104 but may include anynumber of resources. For example, cloud computing environment 102 may becomprised of resources (e.g., servers) running within one or more clouddata centers and/or on-premises with respect to an enterprise ororganization. Additionally, in embodiments, cloud computing environment102 may include any type and number of other resources includingresources that facilitate communications with and between servers (e.g.,network switches, networks, etc.), storage by servers (e.g., storagedevices, etc.), resources that manage other resources (e.g., hypervisorsthat manage virtual machines to present a virtual operating platform fortenants of a multi-tenant cloud, etc.), and/or further types ofresources. In some embodiments, virtual desktop host 104 may comprise aremote server or virtual machine accessible in a data center or anon-premises server.

In addition, client computing device 112 and remote computing device114, although respectively pictured as a laptop and a smart phone, maybe any type of a mobile or stationary computing device. Example mobilecomputing devices include but are not limited to a Microsoft® Surface®device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a thin client, a laptopcomputer, a notebook computer, a tablet computer such as an Apple iPad™,a netbook, a mobile phone, a portable gaming device, or a wearablecomputing device. Example stationary computing devices include but arenot limited to a desktop computer or PC (personal computer), a gamingconsole, or a server.

As further shown in FIG. 1, client computing device 112 iscommunicatively coupled to cloud computing environment 102 via a network108, and remote computing device 114 is communicatively coupled to cloudcomputing environment 102 via a network 118. Networks 108 and 118 maycomprise one or more networks such as local area networks (LANs), widearea networks (WANs), enterprise networks, the Internet, etc., and mayinclude one or more of wired and/or wireless portions. In certainscenarios, network 108 and network 118 may comprise the same network.

Client computing device 112, remote computing device 114, and virtualdesktop host 104 may include at least one network interface that enablescommunications over networks 108 and 118. Examples of such a networkinterface, wired or wireless, include an IEEE 802.11 wireless LAN (WLAN)wireless interface, a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access(Wi-MAX) interface, an Ethernet interface, a Universal Serial Bus (USB)interface, a cellular network interface, a Bluetooth™ interface, a nearfield communication (NFC) interface, etc. Further examples of networkinterfaces are described elsewhere herein.

Client computing device 112 also includes a remote desktop client thatis configured to present within a user interface of client computingdevice 112 a user interface 106 of a communications application thatprovides for video and/or audio communication between users thereof andruns on virtual desktop host 104. For instance, data associated withuser interface 106 of the communications application may be transferredto client computing device 112 and rendered as a user interface in ascreen display of client computing device 112. Any interactions (e.g.,mouse and/or keyboard inputs) that a user 110 may have with the userinterface on client computing device 112 that is presenting userinterface 106 of the communications application may be tracked andtransmitted to virtual desktop host 104.

More specifically, user 110 may initiate a video and/or audiocommunication with a user 116 of remote computing device 114 byinteracting with the user interface of client computing device 112(e.g., by clicking a “phone icon” next to a contact displayed in a userinterface). This interaction may be provided to virtual desktop host104, and the communications application running on virtual desktop host104 may initiate and perform the video and/or audio communication withuser 116.

In embodiments, during the video and/or audio communication between user110 and user 116, device sources (such as a video camera) on clientcomputing device 112 and remote computing device 114 may capture imagesappearing in front of the device sources. As depicted in FIG. 1, videocaptured of users 110 and 116 may be transferred through virtual desktophost 104 to the computing device of the other user for presenting on adisplay screen of the other user's computing device. For instance, videoof user 116 captured by the device source on remote computing device 114may be transferred to virtual desktop host 104 and processed (e.g.,decoded) on virtual desktop host 104 and rendered locally as part ofuser interface 106 of the communications application. In someembodiments, screen scraping may be used to collect screen display dataassociated with the video of user 116 rendered in user interface 106 forrendering the video of user 116 in the user interface of clientcomputing device 112 so that user 110 may contemporaneously view thevideo of user 116 as it is captured by a device source.

This video and/or audio communication approach described above withreference to FIG. 1 may create latency issues (especially for highresolution video and audio experiences) as video and/or audiocommunication between client computing device 112 and remote computingdevice 114 is transferred through network 108, virtual desktop host 104,and network 118. Moreover, this approach may increase the amount of timeand resources spent on processing the media. For example, when virtualdesktop host 104 receives media, it may need to be decoded and whenvirtual desktop host 104 transmits the media, it may need to be encoded.

Implementing a peer-to-peer video and/or audio communication approachbetween client computing device 112 and remote computing device 114 mayalleviate the latency issues discussed above as well as reduce theprocessing workload on virtual desktop host 104. For example, FIG. 2depicts a block diagram of an example system 200 for enablingpeer-to-peer audio and/or video communication between a client computingdevice interacting with a communications application in the cloud and aremote computing device.

As described above with reference to FIG. 1, user 110 may initiate avideo and/or audio communication with user 116 of remote computingdevice 114 by interacting with the user interface of client computingdevice 112. This interaction may be provided to virtual desktop host 104and prompt the communications application running on virtual desktophost 104 to initiate the media communication with remote computingdevice 114. However, in FIG. 2, the media communication call may beintercepted and redirected to client computing device 112 to enablepeer-to-peer media communication between client computing device 112 andremote computing device 114. The remote desktop client of clientcomputing device 112 is configured to receive the redirectedcommunication from the communications application for the purposes ofenabling peer-to-peer audio and/or video communication between clientcomputing device 112 and remote computing device 114.

Once client computing device 112 and remote computing device 114 areconnected for the purposes of audio and/or video communication (aprocess that will be described in more detail below with reference toFIGS. 4 and 5), client computing device 112 and remote computing device114 may communicate video and/or audio with each other via a network 202(which may be the same as, similar to, or entirely different fromnetworks 108 and 118 of FIG. 1).

By enabling peer-to-peer audio and/or video communication between clientcomputing device 112 and remote computing device 114, mediacommunication through virtual desktop host 104 is avoided, therebyreducing latency associated with such audio and/or video communicationand also reducing a processing burden on virtual desktop host 104.Furthermore, as part of shifting the media communication connectionbetween client computing device 112 and remote computing device 114 to apeer-to-peer channel, embodiments described herein also enable localhardware-based media processing capabilities (e.g., a hardware-basedvideo or audio codec) of client computing device 112 to be discoveredand leveraged by the remote desktop client to better carry out suchcommunication. As used herein, the term media is to be understood toencompass at least video, audio or a combination thereof. Because suchembodiments can leverage the hardware-based media processingcapabilities of client computing device 112, the quality and efficiencyof media processing by client computing device 112 can be improved ascompared to a software-based media processing approach. Moreover,utilizing such hardware-based media processing capabilities of clientcomputing device 112 can reduce a burden on a processor of clientcomputing device 112 which will not need to run a correspondingsoftware-based media processing capability instead.

FIG. 3 will now be described, with continued reference to FIGS. 1 and 2,to help illustrate the process of redirecting communication from thecommunications application running on virtual desktop host 104 to clientcomputing device 112. FIG. 3 depicts a block diagram of an examplesystem 300 for enabling redirection of communication from acommunications application for the purposes of enabling peer-to-peeraudio and/or video communication between a client computing device and aremote computing device.

As shown in FIG. 3, cloud computing environment 102 includes virtualdesktop host 104 and a plugin 302. As further shown in FIG. 3, plugin302 includes redirection shim(s) 304. Redirection shim(s) 304 areconfigured to intercept communication (e.g., API calls) initiated by thecommunications application running on virtual desktop host 104 andredirect such calls to client computing device 112 via network 108. Forexample, if the communications application initiates video and/or audiocommunication with remote computing device 114, then redirection shim(s)304 will intercept the video and/or audio communication request, modifythe request if necessary (e.g., replacing certain script objects withdifferent implementations), and redirect it to client computing device112 over a communication channel 306 (via network 108).

In an embodiment, the communications application may load plugin 302 atruntime if particular conditions are met (e.g., if the communicationsapplication is running on a particular virtual desktop environment andif multi-session users is enabled). Once loaded, plugin 302 may attemptto establish communication channel 306 (e.g., establish a dynamicvirtual channel (DVC)) with client computing device 112 to enablecommunication between virtual desktop host 104 and client computingdevice 112. In embodiments, plugin 302 may make Remote Procedure calls(RPCs) through a WebSockets server process to client computing device112.

To provide a more detailed perspective of client computing device 112,FIG. 4 will now be described. FIG. 4 depicts client computing device 112including a plugin 404 to a remote desktop client 402 that enablespeer-to-peer communication between client computing device 112 and aremote computing device, determines a hardware-based media processingcapability of client computing device 112, and uses the detectedhardware-based media processing capability to process media. Plugin 404comprises a set of components 432 that are non-OS specific andcompatible with any platform and a set of components 430 that are OSspecific and would need to be reimplemented for each platform. Set ofcomponents 432 that are non-OS specific comprises: an RTC listener 406,an RTC manager 408, a window manager 410, and an RTC component 412.

As further shown in FIG. 4, client computing device 112 also includes aremote desktop client 402. As previously described, remote desktopclient 402 of client computing device 112 is configured to receiveredirected communication on communication channel 306 from thecommunications application (i.e., through plugin 302 of cloud computingenvironment 102 in FIG. 3) for the purposes of enabling peer-to-peeraudio and/or video communication between client computing device 112 anda remote computing device (e.g., remote computing device 114 in FIGS. 1and 2).

In the process of enabling peer-to-peer communication between clientcomputing device 112 and remote computing device 114, RTC listener 406is configured to listen on communication channel 306 for the redirectedcommunication and provide a stream of the redirected communication toRTC manager 408 once received. RTC manager 408 is configured to receivethe stream of redirected communication (e.g., including serialized RPCcall information) and translate it into a format compatible with aframework for enabling real-time communication (e.g., WebRTC). RTCmanager 408 then provides the translated communication (e.g., WebRTC APIcalls) to RTC component 412. RTC component 412 is configured to connectclient computing device 112 and remote computing device 114 for thepurposes of audio and/or video communication based on the translatedcommunication (e.g., WebRTC API calls) provided from RTC manager 408.RTC component 412 may establish a communication channel 436 betweenclient computing device 112 and remote computing device 114 for thepurposes of audio and/or video communication.

Set of components 430 of plugin 404 that are OS specific comprise: amedia capture component 414, a media renderer component 416, and awindow manager component 418. After client computing device 112 andremote computing device 114 are connected for audio and/or videocommunication, media capture component 414 and media renderer component416 may be used to detect a hardware-based media processing capabilityof client computing device 112 and use the hardware-based mediaprocessing capability to optimize audio and/or video communicationbetween client computing device 112 and remote computing device 114.

For example, media capture component 414 may determine a hardware-basedmedia processing capability of client computing device 112 by usingOS-specific APIs to determine what is available on client computingdevice 112. After determining what is available on client computingdevice 112, media capture component 414 is configured to inform a sourcereader 420 of any information (such as formatting) related to processingof captured media and any configuring of hardware needed to leverage thehardware-based media processing capability to process captured media.Source reader 420 is configured to capture media from a video camera 426and other device sources (e.g., a microphone) of client computing device112.

To help illustrate, say media capture component 414 determines thatclient computing device 112 has a hardware-based media processingcapability to transcode captured video to a lower resolution/quality.Media capture component 414 may inform source reader 420 that theoriginal captured media needs to be decoded to an intermediateuncompressed format (e.g., PCM for audio or YUV for video) and thenencoded into a target format. Source reader 420 may then perform thetranscoding and provide the processed video to media capture component414. In capturing video, source reader 420 may act like a frame serverand stream captured video to media capture component 414.

Media capture component 414 is further configured to receive from sourcereader 420 processed and/or unprocessed media captured from video camera426 and provide the captured media to RTC component 412. RTC component412 is configured to prepare the captured media for transmission toremote computing device 114. As shown in FIG. 4, RTC component 412 maysend the captured media through a socket API 424 over communicationchannel 436 to remote computing device 114.

Media renderer component 416 may determine a hardware-based mediaprocessing capability of client computing device 112 by usingOS-specific APIs to determine what is available on client computingdevice 112. After determining what is available on client computingdevice 112, media renderer component 416 is configured to inform a mediaengine 422 of any information (such as formatting) related to processingof received media and any configuring of hardware needed to leverage thehardware-based media processing capability to process received media.

Media renderer component 416 is further configured to provide a specificsource of media received from RTC component 412 to media engine 422.Media engine 422 will then build up a media pipeline and set it up forrendering. Media engine 422 is configured to provide the specific source(compressed or decompressed) to a media stream source 428. Media streamsource 428 is configured to provide the media source to hardware neededto leverage the hardware-based media processing capability to processthe received media. In an embodiment, media stream source 428 may use aframe server approach for producing video media.

As shown in FIG. 4, media stream source 428 is connected to a hardwaredecoder 438. In some embodiments, if the received media is compressed,then hardware decoder 438 may decode the received media. Additionally,media stream source 428 may provide the received media to otherhardware-based media processing capabilities, such ashardware-accelerated video processing (e.g., resizing the frames, colorconversions, etc.) or hardware-accelerated audio processing. As depictedin FIG. 4, the processed media may be provided to remote desktop client402 for rendering in its user interface 434. Alternatively oradditionally, the processed media can be rendered at a display 440.Window manager 410 and window manager component 418 are configured tomonitor and track any changes (e.g., window movements, window resizing,pop-up menus, etc.) needed to be performed on video rendered in userinterface 434.

Client computing device 112 is described in further detail as followswith respect to FIGS. 5-7. FIG. 5 shows a flowchart 500 of a method forenabling peer-to-peer communication between a client computing deviceand a remote computing device, determining a hardware-based mediaprocessing capability of a client computing device, and using thedetected hardware-based media processing capability to process media.

Flowchart 500 begins with step 502. In step 502, a redirectedcommunication is received from the communications application forpurposes of enabling peer-to-peer audio and/or video communicationbetween the client computing device and a remote computing device asopposed to audio and/or video communication via the communicationsapplication. For example, and with continued reference to FIG. 4, remotedesktop client 402 receives a redirected communication on communicationchannel 306 from the communications application for purposes of enablingpeer-to-peer audio and/or video communication between client computingdevice 112 and remote computing device 114 as opposed to audio and/orvideo communication via the communications application.

In step 504, the client computing device and the remote computing deviceare connected for the purposes of audio and/or video communication basedon the redirected communication using a framework for enabling real-timecommunication. For example, and with continued to FIG. 4, RTC component412 connects client computing device 112 and remote computing device 114for the purposes of audio and/or video communication based on theredirected communication using a framework for enabling real-timecommunication. In one embodiment, the redirected communication includesWebRTC API calls intercepted from the communications application andAPIs and protocols of WebRTC is the framework used for connecting clientcomputing device 112 and the remote computing device 114.

In step 506, a hardware-based media processing capability of the clientcomputing device is determined. For example, and with continued to FIG.4, media renderer component 416 determines a hardware-based mediaprocessing capability of client computing device 112 by usingOS-specific APIs to determine what is available on client computingdevice 112. Such hardware-based media processing capability of clientcomputing device 112 may comprise, for example and without limitation, avideo codec (comprising a video decoder), an audio codec (comprising anaudio decoder), hardware-accelerated video processing, orhardware-accelerated audio processing.

In step 508, media transmitted from the remote computing device isreceived. For example, and with continued to FIG. 4, media renderercomponent 416 receives media transmitted from remote computing device114 from RTC component 412.

In step 510, the hardware-based media processing capability is used toprocess the received media from the remote computing device forrendering by the client computing device. For example, and withcontinued to FIG. 4, media stream source 428 uses the hardware-basedmedia processing capability to process the received media from remotecomputing device 114 for rendering by client computing device 112. Tohelp illustrate, media stream source 428 is connected to a hardwaredecoder 438. In some embodiments, if the received media is compressed,then hardware decoder 438 may decode the received media. Additionally,media stream source 428 may provide the received media to otherhardware-based media processing capabilities, such ashardware-accelerated video processing (e.g., resizing the frames, colorconversions, etc.) or hardware-accelerated audio processing.

FIG. 6 shows a flowchart 600 of a method for negotiating a mediacommunication parameter with a remote computing device based on adetermined hardware-based media processing capability of a clientcomputing device. Flowchart 600 begins with step 602. In step 602,another hardware-based video processing capability of the clientcomputing device is determined. For example, and with continued to FIG.4, RTC manager 408 may determine another hardware-based video processingcapability of client computing device 112. RTC manager 408 may determinethe other hardware-based media processing capability through an API ofthe framework for enabling real-time communication.

In step 604, a media communication parameter is negotiated with theremote computing device based on the other hardware-based mediaprocessing capability. For example, and with continued to FIG. 4, RTCmanager 408 negotiates a media communication parameter with remotecomputing device 114 based on the other hardware-based media processingcapability. For example, RTC manager 408 may determine that clientcomputing device 112 has a particular decoder (e.g., VP9 decoder) thatremote computing device 114 does not have. RTC manager 408 may negotiatewith remote computing device 114 to provide media in a format compatiblewith its particular decoder.

FIG. 7 shows a flowchart 700 of a method for determining ahardware-based media processing capability of a client computing deviceand using the hardware-based media processing capability to processmedia captured from a media source of the client computing device.Flowchart 700 begins with step 702. In step 702, another hardware-basedmedia processing capability of the client computing device isdetermined. For example, and with continued to FIG. 4, media capturecomponent 414 determines another hardware-based media processingcapability of client computing device 112. Media capture component 414may determine available hardware-based media processing capability ofclient computing device 112 by using APIs specific to the OS of clientcomputing device 112. Such hardware-based media processing capability ofclient computing device 112 may comprise, for example and withoutlimitation, a video codec (comprising a video encoder), an audio codec(comprising an audio encoder), hardware-accelerated video processing, orhardware-accelerated audio processing.

In step 704, the other hardware-based media processing capability isused to process media captured from a media source of the clientcomputing device. For example, a hardware-based video or audio encodermay be used to encode video or audio, respectively, captured from amedia source of client computing device 112. As another example,hardware-accelerated video or audio processing may be used to acceleratethe processing of video or audio, respectively, captured from a mediasource of client computing device 112. In some embodiments, and withcontinued to FIG. 4, media capture component 414 is configured to informsource reader 420 of any information (such as formatting) related toprocessing of captured media and any configuring of hardware needed toleverage the hardware-based media processing capability to processcaptured media.

In step 706, the processed media is transmitted to the remote computingdevice. For example, and with continued to FIG. 4, RTC Component 412transmits the processed media to remote computing device 114 overcommunication channel 436.

Although the foregoing embodiments refer to a communications applicationexecuting on a virtual desktop host, it is to be understood that thetechniques described herein could be utilized in conjunction with anycommunications application that is executing remotely from clientcomputing device 112, regardless of whether such communicationsapplication is running on a virtual desktop or some other type ofplatform. That is to say, the embodiments described herein are notlimited to communications applications being executed on a virtualdesktop but instead broadly encompass any type of communicationsapplication that may execute on a server and that enable audio and/orvideo communication between remotely-located users and user devices.

Furthermore, although the foregoing embodiments refer to a remotedesktop and associated plugin running on client computing device 112, itis to be understood that the functionality provided by those componentscould be encapsulated within any type of software components having anytype of structure or architecture. For example, the functions andfeatures of plugin 404 may be included in a software component thatisn't necessarily a plugin but is instead some other type of softwarecomponent that is operable to work with remote desktop client 402.Furthermore, the functions and features of plugin 404 may also beintegrated directly into remote desktop client 402 such that anadditional software component is not required beyond remote desktopclient 402. Still further, the function and features of remote desktopclient 402 and plugin 404 may be included in an application or operatingsystem component of client computing device 112 that isn't referred toas a remote desktop client or plugin but nevertheless provides similarcapabilities to those components as were described herein.

III. Example Computer System Implementation

Cloud computing environment 102, virtual desktop host 104, plugin 302,client computing device 112, remote desktop client 402, plugin 404,flowchart 500, flowchart 600, and/or flowchart 700 may be implemented inhardware, or hardware combined with one or both of software and/orfirmware. For example, cloud computing environment 102, virtual desktophost 104, plugin 302, client computing device 112, remote desktop client402, plugin 404, flowchart 500, flowchart 600, and/or flowchart 700 maybe implemented as computer program code/instructions configured to beexecuted in one or more processors and stored in a computer readablestorage medium. In another embodiment, cloud computing environment 102,virtual desktop host 104, plugin 302, client computing device 112,remote desktop client 402, plugin 404, flowchart 500, flowchart 600,and/or flowchart 700 may also be implemented in hardware that operatessoftware as a service (SaaS) or platform as a service (PaaS).Alternatively, cloud computing environment 102, virtual desktop host104, plugin 302, client computing device 112, remote desktop client 402,plugin 404, flowchart 500, flowchart 600, and/or flowchart 700 may beimplemented as hardware logic/electrical circuitry.

For instance, in an embodiment, one or more, in any combination, ofcloud computing environment 102, virtual desktop host 104, plugin 302,client computing device 112, remote desktop client 402, plugin 404,flowchart 500, flowchart 600, and/or flowchart 700 may be implementedtogether in a system on a chip (SoC). The SoC may include an integratedcircuit chip that includes one or more of a processor (e.g., a centralprocessing unit (CPU), microcontroller, microprocessor, digital signalprocessor (DSP), etc.), memory, one or more communication interfaces,and/or further circuits, and may optionally execute received programcode and/or include embedded firmware to perform functions.

FIG. 8 depicts an exemplary implementation of a computing device 800 inwhich embodiments may be implemented. For example, components of cloudcomputing environment 102, virtual desktop host 104, plugin 302, clientcomputing device 112, remote desktop client 402, plugin 404 may each beimplemented in one or more computing devices similar to computing device800 in stationary or mobile computer embodiments, including one or morefeatures of computing device 800 and/or alternative features. Thedescription of computing device 800 provided herein is provided forpurposes of illustration, and is not intended to be limiting.Embodiments may be implemented in further types of computer systems, aswould be known to persons skilled in the relevant art(s).

As shown in FIG. 8, computing device 800 includes one or moreprocessors, referred to as processor circuit 802, a system memory 804,and a bus 806 that couples various system components including systemmemory 804 to processor circuit 802. Processor circuit 802 is anelectrical and/or optical circuit implemented in one or more physicalhardware electrical circuit device elements and/or integrated circuitdevices (semiconductor material chips or dies) as a central processingunit (CPU), a microcontroller, a microprocessor, and/or other physicalhardware processor circuit. Processor circuit 802 may execute programcode stored in a computer readable medium, such as program code ofoperating system 830, application programs 832, other programs 834, etc.Bus 806 represents one or more of any of several types of busstructures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheralbus, an accelerated graphics port, and a processor or local bus usingany of a variety of bus architectures. System memory 804 includes readonly memory (ROM) 808 and random access memory (RAM) 810. A basicinput/output system 812 (BIOS) is stored in ROM 808.

Computing device 800 also has one or more of the following drives: ahard disk drive 814 for reading from and writing to a hard disk, amagnetic disk drive 816 for reading from or writing to a removablemagnetic disk 818, and an optical disk drive 820 for reading from orwriting to a removable optical disk 822 such as a CD ROM, DVD ROM, orother optical media. Hard disk drive 814, magnetic disk drive 816, andoptical disk drive 820 are connected to bus 806 by a hard disk driveinterface 824, a magnetic disk drive interface 826, and an optical driveinterface 828, respectively. The drives and their associatedcomputer-readable media provide nonvolatile storage of computer-readableinstructions, data structures, program modules and other data for thecomputer. Although a hard disk, a removable magnetic disk and aremovable optical disk are described, other types of hardware-basedcomputer-readable storage media can be used to store data, such as flashmemory cards, digital video disks, RAMs, ROMs, and other hardwarestorage media.

A number of program modules may be stored on the hard disk, magneticdisk, optical disk, ROM, or RAM. These programs include operating system830, one or more application programs 832, other programs 834, andprogram data 836. Application programs 832 or other programs 834 mayinclude, for example, computer program logic (e.g., computer programcode or instructions) for implementing virtual desktop host 104, plugin302, remote desktop client 402, plugin 404, flowchart 500, flowchart600, and/or flowchart 700 (including any suitable step of flowcharts500, 600, and 700), and/or further embodiments described herein.

A user may enter commands and information into the computing device 800through input devices such as keyboard 838 and pointing device 840.Other input devices (not shown) may include a microphone, joystick, gamepad, satellite dish, scanner, a touch screen and/or touch pad, a voicerecognition system to receive voice input, a gesture recognition systemto receive gesture input, or the like. These and other input devices areoften connected to processor circuit 802 through a serial port interface842 that is coupled to bus 806, but may be connected by otherinterfaces, such as a parallel port, game port, or a universal serialbus (USB).

A display screen 844 is also connected to bus 806 via an interface, suchas a video adapter 846. Display screen 844 may be external to, orincorporated in computing device 800. Display screen 844 may displayinformation, as well as being a user interface for receiving usercommands and/or other information (e.g., by touch, finger gestures,virtual keyboard, etc.). In addition to display screen 844, computingdevice 800 may include other peripheral output devices (not shown) suchas speakers and printers. Display screen 844, and/or any otherperipheral output devices (not shown) may be used for implementing userinterfaces 106 and 434, and/or any further embodiments described herein.

Computing device 800 is connected to a network 848 (e.g., the Internet)through an adaptor or network interface 850, a modem 852, or other meansfor establishing communications over the network. Modem 852, which maybe internal or external, may be connected to bus 806 via serial portinterface 842, as shown in FIG. 8, or may be connected to bus 806 usinganother interface type, including a parallel interface.

As used herein, the terms “computer program medium,” “computer-readablemedium,” and “computer-readable storage medium” are used to refer tophysical hardware media such as the hard disk associated with hard diskdrive 814, removable magnetic disk 818, removable optical disk 822,other physical hardware media such as RAMs, ROMs, flash memory cards,digital video disks, zip disks, MEMs, nanotechnology-based storagedevices, and further types of physical/tangible hardware storage media.Such computer-readable storage media are distinguished from andnon-overlapping with communication media (do not include communicationmedia). Communication media embodies computer-readable instructions,data structures, program modules or other data in a modulated datasignal such as a carrier wave. The term “modulated data signal” means asignal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed insuch a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example,and not limitation, communication media includes wireless media such asacoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media, as well as wired media.Embodiments are also directed to such communication media that areseparate and non-overlapping with embodiments directed tocomputer-readable storage media.

As noted above, computer programs and modules (including applicationprograms 832 and other programs 834) may be stored on the hard disk,magnetic disk, optical disk, ROM, RAM, or other hardware storage medium.Such computer programs may also be received via network interface 850,serial port interface 842, or any other interface type. Such computerprograms, when executed or loaded by an application, enable computingdevice 800 to implement features of embodiments discussed herein.Accordingly, such computer programs represent controllers of thecomputing device 800.

Embodiments are also directed to computer program products comprisingcomputer code or instructions stored on any computer-readable medium.Such computer program products include hard disk drives, optical diskdrives, memory device packages, portable memory sticks, memory cards,and other types of physical storage hardware.

IV. Additional Example Embodiments

In a first embodiment, a client computing device, comprises: one or moreprocessors; one or more memory devices that store computer program logicfor execution by the one or more processors, the computer program logiccomprising: a remote desktop client that is configured to present a userinterface of a communications application executing in a cloud computingenvironment within a user interface of the client computing device, theremote desktop client being further configured to receive redirectedcommunication from the communications application for the purposes ofenabling peer-to-peer audio and/or video communication between theclient computing device and a remote computing device as opposed toaudio and/or video communication via the communications application; anda plugin, comprising: a real-time communication manager configured toreceive the redirected communication from the remote desktop channelcomponent and translate the redirected communication into a formatcompatible with a framework for enabling real-time communication; areal-time communication component configured to connect the clientcomputing device and the remote computing device for the purposes ofaudio and/or video communication based on the translated communication;and a media capture component configured to determine a hardware-basedmedia processing capability of the client computing device, use thehardware-based media processing capability to process media capturedfrom a media source of the client computing device, and provide theprocessed media to the real-time communication component to betransmitted to the remote computing device.

In an embodiment, the media comprises one of video or audio.

In an embodiment, the real-time communication manager is furtherconfigured to: determine another hardware-based video processingcapability of the client computing device; and negotiate a mediacommunication parameter with the remote computing device based on theother hardware-based media processing capability.

In an embodiment, the media capture component determines thehardware-based media processing capability through an applicationprogramming interface (API) of an operating system of the clientcomputing device and the real-time communication manager determines theother hardware-based media processing capability through an API of theframework for enabling real-time communication.

In an embodiment, the plugin further comprises a media renderercomponent configured to receive media transmitted from the remotecomputing device via the real-time communication component and providethe received media to a media engine of the client computing device forrendering within the user interface of the client computing device, thevideo renderer component being further configured to: determine anotherhardware-based media processing capability of the client computingdevice; and use the other media processing capability to process thereceived media from the remote computing device.

In an embodiment, the hardware-based media processing capabilitycomprises one of a video codec or an audio codec.

In an embodiment, the hardware-based media processing capabilitycomprises one of hardware-accelerated video processing orhardware-accelerated audio processing.

In another embodiment, a method executed by one or more processors of aclient computing device that is presenting a user interface of acommunications application executing in a cloud computing environment,comprises: receiving a redirected communication from the communicationsapplication for purposes of enabling peer-to-peer audio and/or videocommunication between the client computing device and a remote computingdevice as opposed to audio and/or video communication via thecommunications application; connecting the client computing device andthe remote computing device for the purposes of audio and/or videocommunication based on the redirected communication using a frameworkfor enabling real-time communication; determining a hardware-based mediaprocessing capability of the client computing device; receiving mediatransmitted from the remote computing device; and using thehardware-based media processing capability to process the received mediafrom the remote computing device for rendering by the client computingdevice.

In an embodiment, the media comprises one of video or audio.

In an embodiment, the method further comprises: determining anotherhardware-based video processing capability of the client computingdevice; and negotiating a media communication parameter with the remotecomputing device based on the other hardware-based media processingcapability.

In an embodiment, the determining the hardware-based media processingcapability comprises determining the hardware-based media processingcapability using an application programming interface (API) of anoperating system of the client computing device; and wherein determiningthe other hardware-based media processing capability comprisesdetermining the other hardware-based media processing capability usingan API of the framework for enabling real-time communication.

In an embodiment, the method further comprises: determining anotherhardware-based media processing capability of the client computingdevice; using the other hardware-based media processing capability toprocess media captured from a media source of the client computingdevice; and transmitting the processed media to the remote computingdevice.

In an embodiment, the hardware-based media processing capabilitycomprises one of a video codec or an audio codec.

In an embodiment, the hardware-based media processing capabilitycomprises one of hardware-accelerated video processing orhardware-accelerated audio processing.

In another embodiment, a computer-readable storage medium having programinstructions recorded thereon that, when executed by at least oneprocessor of a client computing device that is presenting a userinterface of a communications application executing in a cloud computingenvironment, causes the at least one processor to perform a methodcomprises: receiving a redirected communication from the communicationsapplication purposes of enabling peer-to-peer audio and/or videocommunication between the client computing device and a remote computingdevice as opposed to audio and/or video communication via thecommunications application; connecting the client computing device andthe remote computing device for the purposes of audio and/or videocommunication based on the redirected communication using a frameworkfor enabling real-time communication; determining a hardware-based mediaprocessing capability of the client computing device; and negotiating amedia communication parameter with the remote computing device based onthe hardware-based media processing capability.

In an embodiment, the media comprises one of video or audio.

In an embodiment, the method further comprises: determining anotherhardware-based video processing capability of the client computingdevice; and receiving media transmitted from the remote computingdevice; and using the other hardware-based media processing capabilityto process the received media from the remote computing device forrendering by the client computing device.

In an embodiment, the method further comprises: determining anotherhardware-based media processing capability of the client computingdevice; using the other hardware-based media processing capability toprocess media captured from a media source of the client computingdevice; and transmitting the processed media to the remote computingdevice.

In an embodiment, the hardware-based media processing capabilitycomprises one of a video codec or an audio codec.

In an embodiment, the hardware-based media processing capabilitycomprises one of hardware-accelerated video processing orhardware-accelerated audio processing.

V. Conclusion

While various embodiments of the present invention have been describedabove, it should be understood that they have been presented by way ofexample only, and not limitation. It will be understood by those skilledin the relevant art(s) that various changes in form and details may bemade therein without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as defined in the appended claims. Accordingly, the breadthand scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of theabove-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only inaccordance with the following claims and their equivalents.

1. A client computing device, comprising: one or more processors; one ormore memory devices that store computer program logic for execution bythe one or more processors, the computer program logic comprising: aremote desktop client that is configured to present a user interface ofa communications application executing in a cloud computing environmentwithin a user interface of the client computing device, the remotedesktop client being further configured to receive redirectedcommunication from the communications application for the purposes ofenabling peer-to-peer audio and/or video communication between theclient computing device and a remote computing device as opposed toaudio and/or video communication via the communications application; anda plugin, comprising: a real-time communication manager configured toreceive the redirected communication from the remote desktop client andtranslate the redirected communication into a format compatible with aframework for enabling real-time communication; a real-timecommunication component configured to connect the client computingdevice and the remote computing device for the purposes of audio and/orvideo communication based on the translated communication; and a mediacapture component configured to determine a hardware-based mediaprocessing capability of the client computing device by using anapplication programming interface (API) specific to the operating system(OS) of the client computing device, use the hardware-based mediaprocessing capability to process media captured from a media source ofthe client computing device, and provide the processed media to thereal-time communication component to be transmitted to the remotecomputing device, the hardware-based media processing capabilitycomprising one of a video codec, an audio codec, hardware-acceleratedvideo processing or hardware-accelerated audio processing.
 2. The clientcomputing device of claim 1, wherein the media comprises one of video oraudio.
 3. The client computing device of claim 1, wherein the real-timecommunication manager is further configured to: determine anotherhardware-based video processing capability of the client computingdevice; and negotiate a media communication parameter with the remotecomputing device based on the other hardware-based media processingcapability.
 4. The client computing device of claim 3, wherein thereal-time communication manager determines the other hardware-basedmedia processing capability through an API of the framework for enablingreal-time communication.
 5. The client computing device of claim 1,wherein the plugin further comprises a media renderer componentconfigured to receive media transmitted from the remote computing devicevia the real-time communication component and provide the received mediato a media engine of the client computing device for rendering withinthe user interface of the client computing device, the video renderercomponent being further configured to: determine another hardware-basedmedia processing capability of the client computing device; and use theother media processing capability to process the received media from theremote computing device. 6-7. (canceled)
 8. A method executed by one ormore processors of a client computing device that is presenting a userinterface of a communications application executing in a cloud computingenvironment, comprising: receiving a redirected communication from thecommunications application for purposes of enabling peer-to-peer audioand/or video communication between the client computing device and aremote computing device as opposed to audio and/or video communicationvia the communications application; connecting the client computingdevice and the remote computing device for the purposes of audio and/orvideo communication based on the redirected communication using aframework for enabling real-time communication; determining ahardware-based media processing capability of the client computingdevice by using an application programming interface (API) specific tothe operating system (OS) of the client computing device, thehardware-based media processing capability comprising one of a videocodec, an audio codec, hardware-accelerated video processing orhardware-accelerated audio processing; receiving media transmitted fromthe remote computing device; and using the hardware-based mediaprocessing capability to process the received media from the remotecomputing device for rendering by the client computing device.
 9. Themethod of claim 8, wherein the media comprises one of video or audio.10. The method of claim 8, further comprising: determining anotherhardware-based video processing capability of the client computingdevice; and negotiating a media communication parameter with the remotecomputing device based on the other hardware-based media processingcapability.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining the otherhardware-based media processing capability comprises determining theother hardware-based media processing capability using an API of theframework for enabling real-time communication.
 12. The method of claim8, further comprising: determining another hardware-based mediaprocessing capability of the client computing device; using the otherhardware-based media processing capability to process media capturedfrom a media source of the client computing device; and transmitting theprocessed media to the remote computing device. 13.-14. (canceled)
 15. Acomputer-readable storage medium having program instructions recordedthereon that, when executed by at least one processor of a clientcomputing device that is presenting a user interface of a communicationsapplication executing in a cloud computing environment, causes the atleast one processor to perform a method comprising: receiving aredirected communication from the communications application purposes ofenabling peer-to-peer audio and/or video communication between theclient computing device and a remote computing device as opposed toaudio and/or video communication via the communications application;connecting the client computing device and the remote computing devicefor the purposes of audio and/or video communication based on theredirected communication using a framework for enabling real-timecommunication; determining a hardware-based media processing capabilityof the client computing device by using an application programminginterface (API) specific to the operating system (OS) of the clientcomputing device, the hardware-based media processing capabilitycomprising one of a video codec, an audio codec, hardware-acceleratedvideo processing or hardware-accelerated audio processing; andnegotiating a media communication parameter with the remote computingdevice based on the hardware-based media processing capability.
 16. Thecomputer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the mediacomprises one of video or audio.
 17. The computer-readable storagemedium of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises: determininganother hardware-based video processing capability of the clientcomputing device; and receiving media transmitted from the remotecomputing device; and using the other hardware-based media processingcapability to process the received media from the remote computingdevice for rendering by the client computing device.
 18. Thecomputer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the method furthercomprises: determining another hardware-based media processingcapability of the client computing device; using the otherhardware-based media processing capability to process media capturedfrom a media source of the client computing device; and transmitting theprocessed media to the remote computing device. 19.-20. (canceled) 21.The client computing device of claim 1, wherein the redirectedcommunication includes Web real-time communication (WebRTC) API callsintercepted from the communications application and wherein theframework for enabling real time communication comprises APIs andprotocols of WebRTC.
 22. The client computing device of claim 1, whereinthe hardware-based media processing capability comprises one of thevideo codec or the audio codec and wherein the media capture componentis configured to use the video codec or the audio codec to encode themedia captured from the media source of the client computing device. 23.The client computing device of claim 1, wherein the hardware-based mediaprocessing capability comprises one of the hardware-accelerated videoprocessing or the hardware-accelerated audio processing and wherein themedia capture component is configured to use the hardware-acceleratedvideo processing or the hardware-accelerated audio processing to processthe media captured from the media source of the client computing device.24. The method of claim 8, wherein the redirected communication includesWeb real-time communication (WebRTC) API calls intercepted from thecommunications application and wherein the framework for enablingreal-time communication comprises APIs and protocols of WebRTC.
 25. Themethod of claim 8, wherein the hardware-based media processingcapability comprises one of the video codec or the audio codec andwherein using the hardware-based media processing capability to processthe received media from the remote computing device for rendering by theclient computing device comprises using the video codec or the audiocodec to decode the received media.
 26. The computer-readable storagemedium of claim 15, wherein the redirected communication includes Webreal-time communication (WebRTC) API calls intercepted from thecommunications application and wherein the framework for enablingreal-time communication comprises APIs and protocols of WebRTC.